Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has strongly criticised the state government’s relief package for flood-hit farmers, calling it “a pittance” and announcing a statewide agitation on 3 October to demand urgent and meaningful compensation, reported the PTI.
Sapkal, who toured flood-affected villages in Motala taluka — including Kamkhed, Gulbheli, Rahehra Dabhol Tanda, and Nalkund — as well as Deulghat and Padali in Buldhana taluka, said the crop damage was extensive, and the government`s response so far has been inadequate.
“The government’s aid is so minimal that farmers won’t even get Rs 3,000 per hectare,” Sapkal said.
“We demand the state declare a ‘wet drought’, provide Rs 50,000 per hectare as compensation, Rs 2 lakh per acre for land washed away, free seeds and fertilisers for the Rabi season, and a comprehensive loan waiver,” he said, according to the PTI.
Taking aim at the BJP-led state government, Sapkal accused Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of neglecting farmers and prioritising political optics over real help.
“Fadnavis should not return from Delhi without securing a substantial relief package. If he can’t do that, he might as well stay there,” Sapkal said.
Fadnavis, currently in the national capital, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday and submitted a memorandum seeking central assistance for farmers affected by the recent deluge. However, Sapkal accused the Chief Minister of diverting attention to industrial matters, alleging that he was focusing more on the Surjagad iron ore mining project than on farmer welfare.
“The CM and Deputy CM only visited farms for photo opportunities, without announcing any concrete relief. Farmers have been suffering from incessant rain since May, and yet the government continues to make empty announcements,” the Congress leader added.
The Congress’ planned protest follows widespread criticism of the state’s delayed and insufficient response to heavy rainfall and floods that have devastated large parts of rural Maharashtra, especially in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Dheeraj Deshmukh on Friday sought a one-day special session of the Maharashtra legislature to discuss the plight of farmers affected by heavy rains and flooding in Marathwada.
Several parts of Maharashtra, especially Marathwada, received heavy rains since September 20, destroying crops on thousands of hectares and leaving several lakh farmers in acute distress.
Deshmukh, a former MLA, was speaking to reporters after visiting Jevali, Takli (Bk.), Nagzari, Arajakhada, Darjiborgaon, and Brahmavadi villages, all of which are rain-affected, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
